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Thursday, February 23, 2012

Dr. Cass Answers Bible Twisting Homosexuals

In case you are unaware, homosexuals and homosexual apologists, are big on Biblical revisionism in order to justify their perversion to Christian critics. Dr. Gary L. Cass does an excellent job in exposing the deception of homosexuals that attempt to manipulate the Word of God.

There is one point in Dr. Cass’ essay that is weak that Christian-haters love to jump on. Dr. Cass utilizes the judgment of the Law in the Old Testament on what happens to homosexuals. The Law demands a penalty for sin. In the case of perverted homosexuals the penalty is death in the Old Testament.

Christians and the secular world find the Old Testament penalty for homosexuality to be unenlightened for the modern age. My answer for this is Galatians 3: 10-14 NKJV:

10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.”[a] 11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”[b] 12 Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.”[c]

13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”[d]), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Jesus’ Redemption is that no human need perish in the fires of hell. Christ takes on the curse/penalty of the Law that those that believe on Christ are free because of the Cross. The violence exacted on sinners in the Old Testament was receiving curse/penalty in order to satisfy Justice of broken Law. Thank God for the Redemptive Blood of Christ that expiates the curse of the Law.

The expiation is for those that believe and receive Christ in their heart as Lord and Savior. Without Redemption there is no expiation; however Grace in Christ gives humanity their last breath to repent. New Testament Christians do not string up homosexuals because of their choice of a sinful lifestyle. People who hear the Gospel have two choices: To choose Life in Christ or to choose death (the Second Death) apart from God. Judgment day is when the truth of what choice was made in this temporal life to decide one’s eternal fate.

Contrary to what many people may think, the homosexual movement is not filled with some harmless little group of wispy effeminate gays sipping lattes who just want to be left alone. Rather, the leaders of the homosexual movement are in fact some of the most powerful, aggressive and influential individuals in America. They have taken seriously what the homosexual philosopher Nietzsche, Hitler’s inspiration, espoused, that “the will to power” is what really makes a person great.

And power they have, including control of the legislatures in many states, especially California. For example, the California legislature passed AB 48 that mandates the introduction of homosexuality in the entire Kindergarten-12th grade curriculum. Homosexual activists are so aggressive they are often called the “gay mafia” and “homo-fascists.” By lies, intimidation and hard work they have forced the acceptance of a lifestyle that is described by the Bible in the most censorious fashion.

Homosexuals have become so brazen that they even have sought to co-opt and redefine marriage and have been successful in some states. Homosexual activists argue they have a right to marry same sex partners. But our rights and duties come from God. Both “the laws of nature and nature’s God” reveal marriage is between a man and a woman. Homosexuals have no inalienable, natural, God-given right to violate God’s law and corrupt His institution of marriage with a sinful counterfeit. Yet, they have successfully forced their wicked agenda on children, parents, teachers and even some of the clergy.

THE CULTURAL PROOF

The Apostle Paul declares that when mankind suppresses the truth in unrighteousness and refuses to be grateful to God and glorify him, they resort to worshipping idols. They adore a creature, usually themselves, or some other aspect of creation. Some even resort to pantheism, the worship of all of the creation as in New Age paganism. This too means they worship themselves and make up their own rules. This has severe consequences that are profoundly spiritual, moral and sexual.

Paul vividly describes the way pagan society devolves and how God in His justice turns pagan society over to its own twisted desires.

“God also gave them [ungrateful, idolatrous mankind] up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves… For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful… God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting…” (Romans 1:24-28)

Here Paul describes homosexuality as a moral outlier, a final ethical boundary to be crossed in mankind’s descent into rebellion and paganism. Was Paul just an ignorant, bigoted homophobe? Absolutely not. Paul was merely building on the foundation of God’s moral law consistently taught in the whole Bible.

Because there has been reluctance on the part of the church to teach these truths, perhaps due to political correctness and intimidation, and because homosexuals have tried to twist the Bible to condone their sin, this article will survey God’s Word. In the process, some of the common lies of homosexual activists will be answered.

For example, one homosexual website argued that in the Romans passage above, all Paul is addressing is people not doing what is natural “for them.” So, if it’s “natural” for them to be a homosexual it is wrong to act like a heterosexual and vice versa. But, Paul does not say that. In fact, he describes precisely what is unnatural; men copulating with men and women with women. To do that is called “unclean,” “shameful,” “dishonorable” and “vile.”

WHAT HAPPENS IN SODOM…

The first mention of homosexuality in the Bible is found in Genesis 18 & 19. Here Abraham is visited by three mysterious, angelic messengers to whom Abraham shows proper Middle Eastern hospitality. It is at this visitation that decrepit old Abraham and Sarah are promised a son and Sarah famously laughs.

As the messengers stood up to leave, the Lord tells Abraham why. And the Lord said, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know." (Genesis 18:20-21)

Note that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah is very grave, so much so that the outcry against went all the way up to the heavens. Then Abraham does something very surprising. He intercedes for Sodom and Gomorrah. He negotiates a deal with God to spare them if he could find righteous people in the cities. He bargained all the way down from fifty righteous persons to just ten. “And He [the Lord] said, "I will not destroy it for the sake of ten." (Vs. 32)

It’s important to look at Abraham’s attitude. Abraham interceded for God to show them mercy. Abraham knew his nephew Lot lived there. Abraham had previous dealings with the Sodomites. So as wicked and repulsive as the sin of Sodom was, Abraham does not delight in the forthcoming death of wicked, and neither does God, nor should we. 'As I live,' says the Lord God, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.’ (Ezekiel 33:11)

Abraham is like our Lord Jesus Christ in this respect. Christ loved us even when we were God’s enemies and interceded for us and for our redemption. We need to be very careful with our attitude towards homosexuals. Many are victims of childhood sexual abuse or neglect. They deserve our sincere compassion, even as we tell them the truth.

But, being a victim does not negate moral man’s responsibility. We are all accountable to do what is right, even if we have been abused or neglected. How did our Lord teach us to pray? “Forgive us our trespasses even as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.” Christ can set any sinner free from their guilt and sin, heal their broken lives and even give them grace to forgive those who have sinned against them.

In spite of all their marketing efforts, like the sitcoms “Will and Grace” or “Glee,” homosexuals are not “gay,” they are often angry and broken. Their higher percentages of social pathologies bear out that truth.

Except for the grace of God, we too might be lost in the dark, hellish world of Sodom. So we must love homosexuals enough to tell them God’s truth and offer them His way out: repent and believe. To do otherwise is hatred and indifference and is often mere cowardly disobedience.

We have to keep in mind that no sin is simply an individual matter. All sin is against God and impacts the community in which a person lives: his family, city and nation. Whatever case comes to you from your brethren who dwell in their cities, whether of bloodshed or offenses against law or commandment, against statutes or ordinances, you shall warn them, lest they trespass against the Lord and wrath come upon you and your brethren. Do this, and you will not be guilty. (2 Chronicles 19:10-11)

THE REAL SIN OF SODOM

“Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom.” (Genesis 19:1)

Lot was Abraham’s nephew who previously tried to take advantage of Abraham when there came a need for the family to separate and divide the land. Lot determined to live in the region closest to the notorious cities on the plain. The wickedness of these cities was common knowledge. “But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord.” (Genesis 13:13) Lot eventually ends up as one of their leaders because the angels find Lot “sitting in the gate,” a place of political and economic authority. Lot was figuratively sitting in the gates of hell.

When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. And he said, "Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant's house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way." And they said, "No, but we will spend the night in the open square." But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. (Genesis 19:1-3)

To his credit Lot protects the strangers and performs his duty even as Abraham did.

“Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot and said to him, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them.’” (Genesis 19:4-5)

The men of Sodom clearly wanted to sexually abuse the strangers who they thought were men. Homosexuals twist the scriptures to say they merely wanted to sit down to get “to know” the men over wine and cheese. But, the word “to know” is clearly of a sexual nature here because of what follows and because of how the Bible interprets this passage in other places.

So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, 7 and said, "Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly! 8 See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof." (Genesis 19:6-8)

Whatever the men wanted to do, Lot thought it was a very “wicked,” so much so that instead he offers the men his virgin daughters “to know.” Clearly this carries a sexual connotation in keeping with a common use of the Hebrew term. This passage is very shocking on many different levels, but, it does make crystal clear that whatever the men of Sodom and Gomorrah wanted to do it was exceedingly grave and wicked, perhaps even homicidal, as we will see later in the incident in Gibeah.

And they said, "Stand back!" Then they said, "This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them." So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door. (Genesis 19:9-11)

The miraculous power of God intervenes; the wicked men of the city are struck blind and the messengers and Lot escape with Lot’s family. “Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.” (Genesis 19: 24-25)

Homosexual activists argue that Sodom and Gomorrah merely guilty of being inhospitable. I suppose you could say that attempted sexual abuse is inhospitable, but is that all for which they were guilty? Not hardly. The context and the rest of the Bible tells us otherwise.

A PARADIGM OF PERVERSION “Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” (Jude 7)

Sodom and Gomorrah are singled out in the Bible as unique examples and archetypes of wickedness. Why? Because of “sexual immorality” and specifically for going after “strange flesh.” The word “strange” comes from the Greek word heteros. “Strange” flesh is that flesh which is “other than” what God appoints. Homosexuals argue it refers not to homosexuality, but to some kind of “angel sex.” But, angels are not flesh. The men of Sodom didn’t ask for angels, they asked for Lot to hand over “the men” that were staying with him (vs.5).

Note also that the judgment was not merely on Sodom, but was “on the cities around them.” Were all the cities guilty of “angel sex” too? The text certainly does not say that. According to the story, the sin for which they were being judged was prior to the angels’ visitation. (Genesis 18:20) The incident with the angels only confirmed how wicked and how ripe for judgment they already were.

So Sodom and Gomorrah are metaphors and examples of ultimate wickedness. The notorious behavior of the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah is a warning repeated over and over down through the ages. When God wants to underscore just how wicked Israel had become, He calls Israel “Sodom and Gomorrah.” “Hear the word of the Lord, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the law of our God, You people of Gomorrah: "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?" (Isaiah 1:10-11) “And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.” (Revelation 11:8) According to Jude 7, Sodom and Gomorrah are also used as unique archetypes of God’s wrath, even of eternal hell itself: “suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” Our Lord uses the example of God’s wrath upon Sodom and Gomorrah as a picture of the great and terrible “Day of the Lord” and the wrath of God that appears at Christ’s return. “But on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” (Luke 17:29-30)

So Sodom and Gomorrah and cities on the plain are uniquely singled out in Scripture and serve as exemplars and precursors of hell itself and are perennial reminders of sin’s ultimate consequences.

SODOMY IS AN ABOMINABLE SIN

According to Leviticus 18:22, sodomy is considered to be one of the sins categorized as an abomination. “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.” The Hebrew word Tow’ebah, translated abomination, occurs over 100 times in the Old Testament and means morally repugnant and abhorrent. This particular prohibition against sodomy is in a chapter that also forbids other illicit sexual activity: incest, (18:6-18), adultery (Vs.20), and bestiality (Vs.23). Some have argued that these prohibitions from what is called “The Holiness Code,” are directed only towards the priests from the tribe of Levite. But Leviticus 18:1-2 addresses all of Israel, not just one tribe. “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: “I am the Lord your God.”’”

SODOMY IS A CAPITAL CRIME

According to Leviticus 20:13, sodomy is very serious sin and one of the more than dozen capital crimes mentioned in the Old Testament. “If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.” To be convicted of homosexual sodomy according to biblical due process would require that the persons are caught in the act by multiple witnesses. There is no individual in scripture reported to have been tried and convicted for homosexuality.

SODOMY HAS COMMUNAL CONSEQUENSES

In Judges 19 there is a very interesting account very similar to what happened in Sodom and Gomorrah, only it occurs in the “Holy Land,” Gibeah in Israel. A priest is traveling though Israel and is shown hospitality by an old man from the tribe of Benjamin who lived in Gibeah. But, the priest is almost sodomized by a group of perverted Benjaminites.

As they were enjoying themselves, suddenly certain men of the city, perverted men, surrounded the house and beat on the door. They spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, "Bring out the man who came to your house, that we may know him!" (Judges 19:22)

Perverted men, literally “sons of Belial,” or lawless, worthless men, surround the house. We know this is a demonic mob inspired by Satan. In 2 Corinthians 6:15, Paul asks, “And what accord has Christ with Belial?” Belial is satanic, anti-Christ.

So the Levite instead gives his concubine to the men who sexually abuse her to death. The Levite returns to his home and cuts the concubine into 12 pieces and sends them to the heads of Israel’s Twelve Tribes. This is so shocking that they all gather to hear what this was about. The Levite recounts to them what happened.

So the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, "My concubine and I went into Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin, to spend the night. And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and surrounded the house at night because of me. They intended to kill me, but instead they ravished my concubine so that she died. (Judges 20:4-5)

The close association of sexual perversion and violence is seen through out the Bible. The Levite knew he would not only be sodomized, but he would be left for dead just like his poor concubine. Is this what Lot feared for the strangers who were going to spend the night in the open square in Sodom? Sexual perversion and violence is the fruit of what Paul called a reprobate or depraved mind.

As a result of what happed in Gibeah, a civil war breaks out in Israel and all but 600 of the men of the tribe of Benjamin are killed.

THE GOOD KINGS DROVE OUT SODOMY

There is a close association with pagan worship and sexual perversion that goes all the way back to the Book of Deuteronomy. Moses prohibits ritual prostitution by men and women. "There shall be no ritual harlot of the daughters of Israel, or a perverted one of the sons of Israel.” (Deuteronomy 23:18)

With the introduction and tolerance of paganism by wicked Kings within Israel, sexual perversion crept into Israel’s worship. When good kings reigned in Israel, ritual sexual perversion was banished.

And he [Asa] banished the perverted persons from the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. (1 Kings 15:12) And the rest of the perverted persons, who remained in the days of his father Asa, he [Jehoshaphat] banished from the land. (1 Kings 22:46) Then he [Josiah] tore down the ritual booths of the perverted persons that were in the house of the Lord… (2 Kings 23:7)

When we reject God’s high view of the sanctity of sex within marriage, for the sake of strengthening the “one flesh” bond of a husband and wife and for having children, sex becomes selfish, lust based and increasingly perverted and unsatisfying. Pagan man then tries to mix sex with religion, even expressions of homo-occultism. All idolatry and pagan rituals, especially perverted sexual acts, are essentially demonic; “the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons.” (1 Corinthians 10:20)

NEW TESTAMENT CONTINUITY

The prohibitions against sodomy are not merely Old Testament laws that passed away along with the nation of Israel. Sodomy is and always will be a violation of the binding moral law of God summarized by the Ten Commandments.

The Seventh Commandment says, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” While sodomy is not explicitly mentioned, it is still understood to be an illicit sexual act because sexuality is restricted to marriage. It is not legitimate to argue that because sodomy is not specifically mentioned it is no longer a violation of the moral law. If that is so, then incest and bestiality would also to be permitted.

The New Testament assumes and applies God’s moral law. In addition to Romans 1, there are other explicit condemnations. “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

“Homosexuals” is translated in this passage from the Greek word malakoi. It means “soft” or “effeminate,” and is used figuratively of the passive homosexual partner. Some associate it with “catamites,” young boy victims of pederasty. The word translated sodomite is arsinokoites: men who copulate with men.

It is the same term used in 1 Tim 1:10. Again note the close association with violence and sexual perversion.

“law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine…” 1 Tim 1:9-11.

MISCELLANIOUS DISTORTIONS

There is one tactic of homosexual activists that is very common. It is the fallacious use of moral equivalency. They argue sodomy is just like gossiping or covetousness or any other sin. They concede it is sinful, just not seriously sinful, but are they right?

It is true that just one sin of any kind is enough to condemn anyone to hell. Why? God is an infinitely Holy being. All man’s sin is sin against God. Therefore, even just one sin against an infinitely, Holy God renders man infinitely guilty. That’s precisely why we needed Christ to come and absorb the wrath we all deserve.

So yes, all sin is the same in the sense that it all damns us before God. But, some sins are repeatedly singled out as particularly wicked and corrosive for the individual and society, like sodomy.

Sodomy destroys the individual spiritually, emotionally and physically. It undermines marriage by introducing a counterfeit, unnatural bond. It destroys the family because the homosexual cannot produce children.

But, the homosexual apologists argue, Jesus never spoke against homosexuality. Jesus did not explicitly speak about incest or bestiality either, but no sane person argues for them on that basis. In fact, Jesus did speak on the matter. Since Jesus is God, and the Bible is God’s Word, logically it means that whatever the Bible says about homosexuality is Jesus speaking on the topic. This is exactly what the Apostle Peter tells us. The prophets in the Old Testament spoke in the name of God by “the Spirit of Christ who was in them...” (1 Peter 1:11) Whatever the Bible says is the Word of Christ.

One of the most petulant things homosexuals do is make perverted insinuations about innocent relationships in the Bible. David and Jonathan, Ruth and Naomi, even Jesus and the Disciples are all supposedly involved in illicit sexual relationships. Of course, there is no proof so you have to read in between the lines of the Bible. This brings to mind Paul’s instruction to Titus: “To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.” (Titus 1:15)

THE GOOD NEWS FOR HOMOSEXUALS

From the beginning of the church God has saved and delivered people from homosexuality. After listing the various kinds of people that would not see God’s kingdom, including homosexuals and sodomites, Paul concludes with this glorious reminder: “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:11

The Corinthian church had the original chapter of P-FOX: Parents and Friends Of EX-homosexuals! Praise God the gracious invitation extended to all sinners: repent from your sin, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. This offer is available to whosoever will believe. No one is disqualified, no matter how bad or hopeless you might think you are, there is a sure hope in Jesus Christ for redemption.

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2 comments:

Many people claim that Gen 19:1-25 doesn't teach that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake of homosexuality. They claim that Sodom's sins were pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness, and they didn't help poor and needy.

The book of Ezekiel teach that Sodom's sins were pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness, and they didn't help poor and needy. Ezekiel continues saying that they were haughty and committed abomination before God, and for the reason of abomination God destroyed Sodom:

Eze 16:49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination (towebah) before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.

Lev 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination (towebah).

For the sake of sodomites' abomination acts, God destroyed Sodom as Ezekiel 16:49,50 shows for us. Ezekiel uses 16:50 Hebrew word towebah, which is the same Hebrew word in Lev 18:22 (and Lev 20:13) that describes homosexuality as abomination. It is very clear that in Ezekiel 16:50, abomination means homosexuality acts as the reason for destroying of Sodom. Sodomites pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness and hardened hearts towards poor and needy were sins, but destruction came for the sake of homosexuality, and the New Testament confirms this:

Jude1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

The book of Jude confirms that in Sodom and Gomorrah practiced fornication going after strange flesh, which means homosexuality. Fornication going after strange flesh doesn't describe natural sex between men and women, but unnatural sex where men have practiced sex to other men. For this reason, they suffer the vengeance of eternal fire.